Modular optoelectronic scanner (MOS): a study of its capabilities for optically active parameter estimation by means of an ocean color model

Abstract

The Modular Optoelectronic Scanner (MOS) is the first spaceborne ocean colour sensor to become available after a tenyear gap and has already attracted the interest of many scientists. This paper deals with a computational study of MOS spectral capabilities by means of a reflectance model. The model, briefly recalled, has been updated with a review of the most recent results concerning the parameterization of the optically active parameter (OAP) inherent properties (absorption and backscattering coefficient). A first-order parameterization of chlorophyll fluorescence around 685 nm has also been introduced. A large number of reflectance curves are generated with the model, using different distributions of the OAP concentrations to simulate various types of waters. The reflectance curve sets are then integrated over the MOS spectral bands, and a regression analysis is performed to find the coefficients of multilinear algorithms for the parameter estimation. The results highlight the effectiveness of MOS spectral bands in attempting a separation of the optically active parameters in different waters. Nevertheless, the strong dependence of the results on the model input parameter distributions makes further studies needed in order to find robust algorithms to be applied in practice.